Comments on: Religion in America IV http://www.chapatimystery.com/archives/imperial_watch/religion_in_america_iv.html what is the vertiginous chapati saying to me? Fri, 30 Jul 2010 06:52:16 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: farangi http://www.chapatimystery.com/archives/imperial_watch/religion_in_america_iv.html/comment-page-1#comment-1916 farangi Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.chapatimystery.com/archives/uncategorized/religion_in_america_iv#comment-1916 Sepoy: let me express eternal gratitude for your letting me take over the CM juggernaut for a week. As you know, I'm your servant. Sepoy: let me express eternal gratitude for your letting me take over the CM juggernaut for a week. As you know, I’m your servant.

]]> By: Morcy http://www.chapatimystery.com/archives/imperial_watch/religion_in_america_iv.html/comment-page-1#comment-1917 Morcy Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.chapatimystery.com/archives/uncategorized/religion_in_america_iv#comment-1917 secular populist? Didn't we sort of allegedly have that in Perot? I don't know what to offer as a Plan B, but I sort of stick to my guns from just after the election, when I argued (although probably terribly) for a concerted, frame-shifting effort on behalf of the left to wrest "morality" and "religion" away from simply discussion of fags and fetuses. There is power there, I think, which can be demonstrated by Bush's entire canard of "compassionate conservatism." Compassion still means something to a lot of people, I think, and if it can somehow become the fundamental frame for the secular/dem/left/whatever position, then it might have success. Look at social security, for example: the GOP doesn't dare say that they want to get rid of SS since it's a New Dealish overreaching of the federal government. Instead, the Constitution in Exile crowd is pitching the situation as something broken that needs to be scrapped. Ain't a single policy wonk motherfucker in the whole world who understands Social Security--yet in town meetings, etc., Bush is going to teach regular Joes that it's busted and that it needs to get ditched. But compassion would check that--a memory of seniors living in total poverty would check that. The idea of old people freezing, homeless, would check that. If America is a moral country (and I think it is), then it must also be a compassionate one. The problem is, of course, how on earth this message could ever get out. I can't imagine it. It's so depressing, in fact. Finally, I was thinking about this while walking around this morning. This Administration is motivated by a truly stunning level of hubris. I know this is no new, deep insight, but it's still worthy of being repeated. These assholes not only think and assume--they <i>know</i> that they'll get away with <i>anything</i>. Gonzales is only the most recent example of this. Show me a single, actual, on the street failure that the Bush Administration has overseen. Iraq is, tragically, the best chance, but they've shielded themselves so well with the rhetoric of terror that they might even get away with that. I'd admire it, if it didn't make me so sick. secular populist? Didn’t we sort of allegedly have that in Perot? I don’t know what to offer as a Plan B, but I sort of stick to my guns from just after the election, when I argued (although probably terribly) for a concerted, frame-shifting effort on behalf of the left to wrest “morality” and “religion” away from simply discussion of fags and fetuses. There is power there, I think, which can be demonstrated by Bush’s entire canard of “compassionate conservatism.” Compassion still means something to a lot of people, I think, and if it can somehow become the fundamental frame for the secular/dem/left/whatever position, then it might have success. Look at social security, for example: the GOP doesn’t dare say that they want to get rid of SS since it’s a New Dealish overreaching of the federal government. Instead, the Constitution in Exile crowd is pitching the situation as something broken that needs to be scrapped. Ain’t a single policy wonk motherfucker in the whole world who understands Social Security–yet in town meetings, etc., Bush is going to teach regular Joes that it’s busted and that it needs to get ditched.

But compassion would check that–a memory of seniors living in total poverty would check that. The idea of old people freezing, homeless, would check that. If America is a moral country (and I think it is), then it must also be a compassionate one.

The problem is, of course, how on earth this message could ever get out. I can’t imagine it. It’s so depressing, in fact.

Finally, I was thinking about this while walking around this morning. This Administration is motivated by a truly stunning level of hubris. I know this is no new, deep insight, but it’s still worthy of being repeated. These assholes not only think and assume–they know that they’ll get away with anything. Gonzales is only the most recent example of this. Show me a single, actual, on the street failure that the Bush Administration has overseen. Iraq is, tragically, the best chance, but they’ve shielded themselves so well with the rhetoric of terror that they might even get away with that. I’d admire it, if it didn’t make me so sick.

]]> By: Morcy http://www.chapatimystery.com/archives/imperial_watch/religion_in_america_iv.html/comment-page-1#comment-1918 Morcy Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.chapatimystery.com/archives/uncategorized/religion_in_america_iv#comment-1918 btw, that photo... me encanta. btw, that photo… me encanta.

]]> By: Manorama http://www.chapatimystery.com/archives/imperial_watch/religion_in_america_iv.html/comment-page-1#comment-1919 Manorama Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.chapatimystery.com/archives/uncategorized/religion_in_america_iv#comment-1919 Awesome post. Awesome post.

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